New Beginnings
by Foopar
Summary: Joe Chill has murdered again, this time the Aunt and Uncle of a young boy. When Bruce goes to testify at his trial, how will he react to finding another soul who has gone through the exact same ordeal as him? Special thanks to Oni Rinku for the idea!
1. Joe Chills trial

**Author's notes**

**Hello people, I just want to take a minute to thank Oni Rinku for letting me steal- err, 'borrow' the idea for this story. Now that thats out of the way, enjoy!**

"Were here Master Bruce." Comes the familiar voice of Alfred Pennysworth, the faithful butler to Bruce Wayne. The older gentleman stops the limo at the curb, and Bruce Wayne, its owner, steps out, and takes in the sight before him. A large court house, not unlike the ones back in Gotham. Only thing is, this isn't Gotham. Sure, the Cities are similar enough. Both are fairly large Cities, two of the largest in the whole country actually. But even so, both are still hopelessly over populated. Their both the business centers of some of the most powerful companies in all the world, Wayne and Stark industries being two prime examples. And finally, both of them are home to some of the absolute _worst _people to ever be born. Criminal scum. That, both Cities were abundant in. And Bruce knew that all to well...

"Master Bruce, are you all right?"

"Huh? Wha-o-oh, Alfred... yeah, I'm ok." Bruce says as he snaps out of his daze, only to go right back into it. Alfred sighs as he places a hand on his employers shoulder.

"Be strong Master Bruce. Don't do anything you might regret."

"Don't worry Alfred, I'll be fine." Bruce responds, before entering the court house. Alfred stands there, alone, staring at the ground. He has been so worried about Bruce lately, about his nightly escapades. Bruce was only 26, still early in his career as Batman. He had only started a year prior. Couple that, with the reappearance of Joe Chill, the man who killed Bruce's parents, and Alfred was starting to worry about his masters sanity. But that could wait, right now, Bruce needed closure. And thats just what he was hoping to get when he came here, to partake in Chill's trial. The bastard had killed again, two people this time. And old woman and her husband, leaving their nephew an orphan. The rage inside Bruce was nearly overwhelming, he could just barely hold it back. But all that changed when he saw Chill. As he entered the court room, and saw the figure of the man who killed his parents, Bruce lost it. The memories resurfaced at that moment, vivid flashbacks of the night his parents were killed right in front of him. Bruce's eyes burned with fury that he had never seen up until that moment, and he charged, ready to kill. He very nearly let out a battle cry to, as he ran for Chill. He couldn't control himself. Everything went red, he couldn't see, couldn't breath...

"Mr. Wayne, would you like to meet the boy?" Ms. Keller, the child protection officer asks. Bruce stops dead in his tracks, his vision restoring. He looks around, no ones seemed to have noticed him break into a mad sprint. Thank god. He turns around to meet Ms. Keller face to face.

"The boy?" He asks.

"Yes, the boy who Chill orphaned. I was told that you expressed interest in adopting him?" Ms. Keller asks. Bruce nods and tells her to lead the way. Unfortunately, they had to walk right by Chill, who was on the stands, to get to the back room where the boy was held. Bruce told himself mentally to restrain himself, calling on every ounce of will power he had not to strangle the man right then and there. Instead, he just stood up as tall as he could get, trying to become as imposing as possible, which actually was a lot, then shot Chill a glare that may or may have not caused him a mini heart attack. God he hated that man. But today was the day he'd see him behind bars. That thought was enough to give Bruce solace.

"Right this way Mr. Wayne." Ms. Keller spoke as she lead Bruce inside the small room. Instantly, Bruce noticed the small frame of a boy, no older then 10, sitting down, hiding behind a science book far to advanced for his age, and a pair of large glasses. To most people he seemed to be coping well, but Bruce could tell other wise. During his travels, he learned many things, one of those things being how to read people. And he could tell from the way the boy held himself, and the look on his face, that he was barely holding back tears. Bruce's hatred of Chill grew in that moment.

"Peter?" Ms. Keller asks. The boy, apparently called Peter, looks up from his book and stares at Ms. Keller.

"Yes Ms. Keller?" He asks.

"This is Bruce Wayne, the man we've talked about." Ms. Keller says as Bruce steps up. He tries to muster the best smile he can, first impressions are everything after all.

"Hey their, Peter. I'm Bruce." Bruce says as he extends his hand. Peter looks at it for a moment, before extending his own. The two shake, and Bruce is shocked at the fragility of the boys hand. Anymore pressure and his wrist was likely to break. The boy was obviously not a fighter. Though, judging by that book, he seemed to make up for it in brains.**  
><strong>  
>"What'cha reading?" Bruce asks. Peter looks at the book, then back at Bruce.<p>

"O-organotransition metal chemistry." Peter stutters. Bruce is taken aback by this.

"People in college barely understand that book." He says. "Do you?"

"W-well, most of it..." Peter says shyly. Bruce can't help the look of amazement that creeps onto his face. He was an advanced kid when he was young, but he wasn't reading books like that until he was 15.

"He's very advanced for his age." Ms. Keller pipes in. Bruce just looks at her for a moment, then back at Peter.

"He sure is..."

* * *

><p><em>Peter is sitting on the floor, reading a book of some kind, while his Uncle Ben sits on the couch reading the paper, and his Aunt May in the kitchen.<em>**_  
><em>  
><strong>_"Dinner's ready!" She calls. Peter jumps up excitedly, and runs into the kitchen, shortly followed by his Uncle Ben._

_"I made your favorite." May says happily as she sets the dish in front of Peter._

_"Oh boy! Thanks Aunt May!" Peter nearly yells as he grabs his fork and starts eating. Ben just chuckles as he takes his own seat._

_"You've got quite an appetite today, don'cha sport? You been hitting those books pretty hard eh?" Ben asks. Peter simply shrugs, which only causes Ben to laugh again, and he is shortly joined by May. Yes, it truly does seem like this is the perfect family. Unfortunately for them, they don't live in a perfect City._

_"Oh Ben, do you hear that?" May suddenly asks. "It sounds like police sirens!"_

_"Oh come now May, is there ever a moment when we _don't _hear police sirens in New York?" Ben asks._

_"Well they sound awfully close by, as if... as if their just outside." May says worriedly. Before Ben can respond, theres a frantic knock on the door, so loud and heavy, it threatens to knock the whole thing down._

_"Ben! The police must be at the door!" May nearly screams. At this point, Peter had stopped eating and was now starring at the door worriedly._

_"Relax May, I'll handle it." Ben says as he goes to the still thumping door._

_"Is there a problem offic- _BANG!"

_"OH GOD BEN!" May screams as blood flies everywhere, staining the carpet and ruining the couch._**  
><strong>  
><em>"U-Uncle Ben!" Peter asks.<em>

_"Shut up and don't move." The man with the gun says as he approaches May._

_"OH GOD! OH GOD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO BEN!" May screams as she rushes to her husbands side._

_"I said stay put!" The man yells at her._

_"Chill! We know your in there! Come out with your hands up!" A voice comes from outside, but is quickly drowned out by May's sobbing._

_"I-I said s-shut up!" The man stutters, obviously panicked. But May does no such thing, as she kneels at her husbands side, sobbing. Then, suddenly, the sobbing stops._

_"Aunt May!" Peter screams as she to, crumples to the floor. The man stands there shaking, his gun smoking, before he turns to Peter._

_"Sorry." He mutters as he pulls the trigger again._

* * *

><p>"And then what happened?" The prosecutor asks Peter as he sits at the stands.<p>

"T-then, he pulled the t-trigger on me." Peter stutters. "But th-there were no b-bullets left, so I only heard a click. Right after that, the police broke in and arrested him." The prosecutor stands there, obvious sadness in his eyes. The boy was completely broken, everyone could see that.

"No further questions." He says lowly as he turns around, looking at the jury. Peter gets up, and takes his leave, back to the back room. Bruce sits in the jury, biting his lip, anxiousness taking him over. He couldn't take his eyes off Chill, the fury in his stomach raging like a fire. But he can't do anything rash, he has to stick by the books for this one. Chill will get whats coming to him in time.

**Author's notes**

**And thats chapter 1! Hope you enjoyed it, and make sure to review! Again, I'd like to thank Oni Rinku for being so cool about me using his idea. Thanks dude!**

**REVIEW!**


	2. A new beginning

_Welcome to Gotham City_

That's what the large sign read as Alfred drove the limo through, with Bruce and young Peter in the back. Talking. Chill got what he deserved, life in prison. He was lucky not to get the death sentence. But even though he didn't get death, but Bruce, and Peter was very, very happy. Justice had finally been served, it was a good day. After the trial, Bruce and Peter discussed the possibility of adoption some more, and it didn't take Peter long to warm up to the idea. And so, the deal was struck, the papers were signed, and now Peter was moving into Wayne Manor. Though he did insist on keeping his last name, but Bruce didn't mind. Anything to make him more comfortable. Just then, as Peter glances out the window, his sight is captured by what is in front of him. The main road leads to a small path, obscured by trees and shrubs. Eventually the path would clear up, to reveal a large patch of grass, with the driveway going all around it in a circle. The smell of various flowers leaks it's way into Peter's nostrils, and he inhales deeply. Birds are chirping in the distance, shrouded by tall trees that guard the entire perimeter. All this leads up to a luxurious stone staircase, that in turn, leads to the biggest house Peter has ever seen in his life. It was more of a castle then a house, with regal style windows, and points on either side, leading up to the pure blue sky above. His mouth hangs agape as he tries to take it in, tries to take in the fact, that _this, _was his home now.

"You like it?" Peter is taken out of his thoughts by the sound of Bruce's voice, and he slowly looks at him, and nods. Bruce just chuckles.

"Shall I retrieve Master Parker's things, sir?" Alfred asks Bruce.

"Thank you Alfred, that'd be great." Bruce says. As Alfred heads to the car and opens up the trunk, Bruce puts his hands on Peter's shoulder.

"Shall we head in?" He asks with a smirk. The most Peter can manage is a light nod, his sights still set on the monument in front of him, studying it. Bruce leads the boy up the steps, and after inserting the key, opens up the door. Peter's eyes once again go wide at the sight of the foyer. It was even grander then the outside, with a long regal rug covering the hardwood floors, leading to a large staircase. The staircase in turn leads to the next floor, where one can get a look at the magnificent chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the earrings glistening in the light. If one were to stand on the landing of the staircase, there would be a large window which they could look out of to get a view of the garden, which is filled with enough plants to repopulate the rainforest, each more rare and amazing then the last. Peter can't see much of upstairs from his current position, but he knows it must be just as astounding as the rest of the house. His eyes divert back downstairs, and to the right. A small archway leads to the lounge, where Peter can just barely make out the form of a large grandfather clock next to the fireplace. Adjacent to that archway is a door, which Peter suspects leads to the kitchen. On the other side of the room is a couple more doors, each regal style just like the windows and previous door, both closed.

"And where shall I put Master Parker's things sir?" Alfred asks as he comes in, grasping Peters two suitcases. Peter didn't have many belongings, or at least many that he wished to take. He only required two suitcases to fit his meager belongings.

"Uh... here Peter, why don't you head upstairs with Alfred and pick out a room. He'll help you get settled in, and afterwards you can take a rest. I'm sure your tired after the trip." Bruce says in a comforting voice. Peter nods before running upstairs, nearly tripping up the staircase. How can you trip _up _a staircase? Well, apparently Peter found a way to deny gravity. Bruce couldn't help but give a chuckle, sometimes brains came with a price.

* * *

><p>The light tapping sound fills the dark cave, the only source of light coming from the large computer, which also seems to be the source of the tapping sounds. Bruce Wayne sits at the chair, typing away at the keyboard, his costume on, sans for the pulled back cowl. A low shuffling sound is heard above, followed by footsteps. Soon enough, Alfred is standing right next to his employer.<p>

"Is Peter asleep?" Bruce asks.

"Yes sir, I've just put him to bed. He's sound asleep." Alfred answers.

"Good." Bruce says simply. Without even looking, he reaches over and pulls a mug from Alfred's hands and takes a sip. Tea, Alfred would always bring him some when he knew a long night was ahead. Alfred had at first thought coffee would be more beneficial, but Bruce stated that he preferred tea. Alfred's tea anyway. The hot liquid burns down his throat as he gulps it, then sets it on the desk.

"Bruce Wayne is expected at 8:00 for a meeting sir." Alfred says.

"Don't worry Alfred, I won't stay up late." Bruce assures him. Alfred simply sighs as he gathers the now empty cup, and prepares to take his leave. Before he can however, an image on the screen captures his sight.

"Master Parkers birthday is many months away sir, is it really necessary to find a clown now?" He asks half joking.

"Alfred, trust me, the man on this screen is no laughing matter." Bruce says, as serious as ever. "He is a grade A psycho, he appeared last week, and so far he's killed 8 people. I_ have _to find him soon, before anymore meaningless bloodshed happens." Alfred raises his eyebrow, now getting curious.

"And what shall we call your newest enemy?" He asks.

"He doesn't have a name." Bruce says. "However," He suddenly continues. "We will need something to call him, I suggest this." Bruce holds reaches into his belt, and from a pouch, pulls out a playing card which he quickly flashes to Alfred.

"A... joker card sir?" Alfred asks. "And may I ask what relevance this has to do with our new friend?"

"He leaves one of these at each crime scene, a calling card sort of. I guess Joker would be a good name for him."

* * *

><p><em>"Say gang, we need one more guy for the dance! How about Peter Parker over there?"<em>

_ "Are you kiddin? That bookworm wouldn't know a cha-cha from a waltz!"_

_ "Peter Parker? He's Midtown High's only professional wallflower!"_

"Oh, if they could see me now!" Peter thinks to himself as he soars through the air. An alarm rings in the distance, out of auditory range of any regular human. Peter on the other hand, is no regular human. Not anymore at least. He's there in a second, and before anyone even knows he's there, he's rounded up 2 of the 5 thieves.

"Huh? Hey, who'z dis bozo?" One of the thugs ask as he finally notices the web slinger.

"Excuse me!" Peter asks in genuine shock. "You don't know who _I _am!"

"Huh? O-oh waitta minute! Yeah, your dat Spidah man dey's been talkin bout on the news!" The brainless thug finally realizes.

"Aww, so you do care!" Spider man says in mock affection.

_"Look, theres a great new exhibit at the science hall tonight! Would any of you like to go with me?"  
><em>

_"Science hall? Hah!"_

_"You stick to the science son, we'll take the chicks!"_

"Hmph, I bet there wishing they came now!" Spider man says to himself as he effortlessly dodges the gunfire of the largest thug, then flips over him and takes him out with a back kick. "Or at least they would, if they knew that that was the day I got my spider powers!" Peter yanks the other mans gun away from him with a webline, shortly followed by a flying kick to the face.

"And Spider man was born!"

_Beep beep beep beep beep beep_

"Wha- oh no!" Peter yells as he looks at his watch.

"Aww man, its almost my curfew!" He quickly finishes off the rest of the thugs, webs them up nice and tight for the police, then swings off.

"I gotta get home before Bruce!"

**_Meanwhile_**

_"Alfred!" Bruce's voice echoes through the mansion, bouncing off porcelain walls, spreading far and wide, cutting through the entire house. This booming voice was one that demanded attention, and Alfred wasn't about to deny it that.  
><em>

_"Yes sir?" Alfred's voice soon comes as he waltzes into the lounge._

_ "I've been thinking, maybe Peter should continue attending school in New York?" Bruce asks. Alfred doesn't pretend to not know why he thinks that._

_ "I must say sir, what with the current condition of Gotham Elementary, and master Peter's... err, fragilness, that might be the best course of action."_

_ "So your with me?" Bruce asks. Alfred knods._

_ "I see no other alternative sir, you've tried teaching him martial arts and look how that turned out." Bruce remembers it all to clearly. Martial arts was anything but easy. Even with the greatest teacher in the world, a person must have at least_ some _natural ability. Talent, for lack of a better word. Peter lacked that. So, as any fool can guess, he failed at martial arts, miserably. After 2 weeks of training, Bruce knew Peter wasn't going to get it, and decided to quit. Said that he should focus more on his studies._

_"So it's decided," Bruce says as he gets up. "I'll make a call tomorrow morning. Peter's old school is only about a half hour away, I see no reason why they shouldn't allow enrollment."_

_"And if they still say no sir?" Alfred asks._

_"Then the superintendent will find a large sum of money wired to his bank account." Bruce says with a smirk._

"It was the right decision." Bruce, or Batman as he is currently, assures himself. It had been a long night, Clayface was never easy to deal with, and Bruce was tired. He had allowed his thoughts to wonder, and as they often do, they wondered to Peter. The boy was a 100%, certifiable genius. Bruce knew that one day soon, Peter would surpass even himself in mental capabilities.

_Beep beep beep beep beep beep_

Bruce curses inwardly at the sound of his watch going off. He had to get home before Peter did. Over the years, their had been _much _to many close calls regarding Bruce's secret. Time after time, Bruce would find Peter fiddling with the grandfather clock, dangerously close to activating the secret door which lead to the batcave. Other times, when Bruce would come home late expecting Peter to be asleep, he would instead be wide awake watching TV. Peter would ask where he'd been, and Bruce would come up with a lame excuse. As if knowing Bruce was lying, Peter would often immediately change to the news channel upon hearing this, just in time to see a report about how Batman had foiled Ra's al Ghul's attempt to spread a plague across the nation. Several times now Peter had made comparisons about Bruce's physique to photographs of Batman. It was obvious the boy had suspicions, and Bruce wasn't about to give him another reason to be. That's the thought he had in mind as he switched the batmobile to second gear and sped off.

_**Minutes later**_

The Batmobile makes a silent stop as Bruce parks it in the cave, shortly before jumping out and checking his watch. Good, he got here 10 minutes before Peter's curfew was up. Bruce didn't know why, but over the course of the past few weeks, Peter would stay out late. Very late, often getting in seconds before his curfew was up. Bruce didn't know if he had a secret girlfriend or what, all he knew was that it started at the exact same time that Spider man fellow started to appear...

Peter, meanwhile, makes a not-so silent landing as he reaches Wayne manor's roof. He winces at the loud thump, hoping Bruce didn't hear. He quickly checks his watch, good, he actually got in early for once. The last thing he needed now was to be grounded. He carefully makes his way to the web bundle nearby, and unwraps it to find a spare set of clothes. Peter quickly puts them on, shoves the mask in his pocket, and brings out his inner ninja as he creeps along the roof, towards the door that leads inside. He opens the door, and makes his way downstairs, just as Bruce makes his way upstairs. The two eventually reach the same floor, and continue on there way, each quiet as a mouse. Their both heading in the same direction, the bathroom. Bruce had to clean up his wounds and Peter needed to... relieve himself. They both open up adjacent doors, step out, and...

"Peter!" Bruce nearly screams as he shoves his hands behind his back, clutching his cowl. Stupid mistake taking it up here, but it had blood obscuring the eye holes and it needed cleaning. Not Bruce's blood of course, but blood all the same. Peter, meanwhile, had been examining his own mask. It was stuffy in there, hard to breath, Peter was trying to find a way to fix that. He quickly pushes his own hands behind his back as well.

"What the-aww, stupid spider sense!" Peter says inwardly. "Why didn't you warn me!"

"Bruce is not a thread and therefore needs no warning." Peter could almost hear a little voice in his head say.

"Doh, umm, Bruce... nice to see ya." Peter says casually.

"Yeah..." Is all Bruce can say. He didn't miss it, Peter shoving his hands behind his back. Before he can ask, however, he realizes Peter had the same idea.

"So... whatcha got there?" He asks.

"Huh? Oh, err, uhh, nothing... what do you have?" He asks, gesturing to Peter's hands.

"Oh, erm, nothing." Peter replies. The two stand their together, and awkward silence filling the air, as thick as the skin on your bones.

"So... I'd uh, better get going. School in the morning, gotta go to bed." Peter laughs.

"Oh oh yeah, yea... goodnight." Bruce responds. So its with that awkward goodbye that the two circle each other round, keeping there hands behind their back, and walking off to their own destinations.


	3. Gotham City Water Treatment Center

Tap tap tap tap tap tap. An all to familiar sound echoes through the dark cave, as Batman himself sits at the computer, typing away. His face stoic, emotionless, he doesn't even flinch when the sudden explosion of light fills the batcave. It could only be Alfred, so Bruce wasn't worried. Light footsteps rebound around the cave, drawing nearer and nearer, until finally, the faithful butler is within view.  
>"Another uneventful night sir?"<br>"I'm still no closer to finding Jokers lair, Clayface got in the way and I had to take care of him." Batman responds. Alfred gives a light nod before returning his attention to the monitor. He has no idea what Batman is doing, its a blueprint of some kind, maybe an upgrade to the batwing, but thats all he can discern. He sighs as he looks back at his employer, his face stern.  
>"I sense there's something else troubling you tonight sir, care to talk about it?" Alfred didn't expect Bruce to comply, but he asked anyway. So he was surprised when the normally closed up man opened up for a change.<br>"It's Peter, he's been acting... strange recently."  
>"Well sir, he is 15. Isn't that expected from teenagers?" Alfred asks.<br>"No Alfred, not from Peter. He's been staying out late recently, sometimes beating his curfew by seconds, if at all. I've also noticed…" Batman looks down for a minute, searching for the right word.  
>"wounds on him. Like he's been fighting. He tries to hide them, pushing through a limp, covering up a black eye, and for the most part he succeeds, but-"<br>"But it's hard to hide something from the worlds greatest detective, right Master Bruce?" Alfred asks with a smirk. Bruce looks up for a moment, then nods.  
>"Yeah… what do you think of all this?"<br>"Well sir I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps he's taken a cue from you and has become a costume crimefighter?" Bruce glares at the butler, his expression hard.  
>"Alfred, this is hardly the time for jokes."<br>"Oh but sir I'm quite serious!" Alfred says with mock exclamation. "In fact, perhaps Master Peter is that Spider-" A abrupt beeping noise cuts Alfred off mid-sentence, and Batman looks back to the computer. He enters a few keys, looks back at the screen, and stands.  
>"Someone's broken into the Gotham water treatment plant." He says. "No rest for the wicked I suppose." Alfred sighs.<br>"Go ahead to sleep Alfred." Batman says plainly. Then, without another word, he leaps into The Batmobile and takes off, leaving the lone butler muttering to himself.

_Meanwhile, several stories up above the caped crusader,_

All was silent on the roof of Wayne Manor, not a creature was stirring, well, save for one little spider.  
>"Ok, Bruce oughtta be asleep by now, which means I've got time for a bit of late night patrol." Peter smiles smugly to himself as he pulls on his mask, and sprints towards the edge of the large mansion. Peter was restless, there would be no sleep tonight, of that he was sure. Besides, it was Friday. And as they say in the hood, you gotta get down on Friday. So he decided to swing around for a bit, try and catch some action. Unbeknownst to him however, tonight was going to hold far more action then the young rookie was looking foward to…<p>

* * *

><p>Gotham City water treatment plant was a homely place. Like the rest of Gotham, it was drowned in the decades of dust and grime buildup accumulated over the years of it's existence. From the outside, it looked like a warehouse, just like the dozens of others that coat Gotham. On the inside however, you would find a complex and intricate assortment of pumps and valves, all leading in every which way direction, dumping there contents in sanitation pools, only for said contents to almost immediately get sucked back up into another maze of pipes. Like everything else in Gotham, the system was far to overly complex and complicated, with dozens of unneeded pathways thrown in for god knows what reason. Batman grumbles to himself as he enters the place, it was at times like these that he really wished he'd focused more on agility then power back during his training days. Not saying Batman is anything short of what every Olympic gymnast strives to be, it's just, this was really a job better suited for Dicks specialties. All well, to late now. Hopefully he can avoid a brawl breaking out and stick to dealing with his enemies in the way of the ninja. Silently, he grapples up to walkway, and crouches down as he explores the facility. It doesn't take long for him to notice two black garbed ninjas messing with the main filter unit. Their black outfits camouflage them into the dark scenery perfectly, their almost invisible to the naked eye. Luckily, Batmans eyes are far from naked, with his trusty cowl lighting up the whole room with it's built in night vision. The amateurs never even saw it coming when Batman pounced, landing straight on the first ones head, squishing him to the floor and knocking him out cold, at the cost of a few teeth and a bit of his tongue. The next one was just as easily dispatched, with Batman coming up with a lightning fast uppercut before the fool even realized what was happening. He gets launched into the air several feet, before finally crashing down, hard on his back. He coughs and wheezes as the air is knocked out of him, and Batman slowly approaches the defenseless target, and lifts him up into the air by his collar as if he were weightless. The pathetic excuse for a martial artist has eyes the size of saucers as he stares down The Dark Knight himself, fear enveloping him completely, seizing his voice in his throat. Batman examines him for a moment, taking in his appearance, before his eyes settle on the symbol embezzled on the mans chest. The sign of the demon. Ra's al Ghul.<br>"KRRROOOAA!" The man yelps out as he is visciously slammed against the nearby water tank, Batmans teeth barred and his hands wrapping tighter and tighter around his throat.  
>"Tell me what I want to know." The man opens his mouth to speak, but as soon as he does, Batman jams his fist in their, knocking out several teeth in the process, before violently ripping his hand out. In his clenched fists, he holds a small tablet. Cyanide.<br>"Wouldn't want you doing anything hasty now." Batman says as he crushes the pill between his fingers.  
>"Now tell me," Batman rips the petrified man from the wall, and slams him onto the ground. Hard. He then places his foot on his face, threatening to bring it further down at at moment.<br>"Where is Ra's!" The ninja spits and sputters, choking on his words in an act of desperation as he hopelessly tries to get the words out.  
>"L-lor-d Ra's al Gh-Ghul- I- I would n-never tell y-y-ou his where-whereabouts!" The man tries to mask the fear in his voice, but there aren't many things you can hide from The Batman. Bruce already knows this one will crack easily. But just before he makes his next move, an almost imperceptible beeping noise catches The Dark Knights attention. He turns his head, to find the other guard, who was previously thought unconscious, alive and kicking. In his hands, Batman can see what he at first thinks to be a bomb, but quickly realizes it's even worse.<br>"Hehehe," The guard laughs, his voice weak and raspy, but is quickly interrupted by a coughing fit. Once he regains control, he looks back at Batman, glaring at him, any fear he could possibly have of The Dark Knight, he's doing a good job of hiding.  
>"I can see from the look in your eyes that you know what I just did. And let me assure you Dark Knight, it's even worse then that." He takes a minute to hack up a glob of crimson saliva, then continues.<br>"Two dozen of the league of shadows highest elite have just been called in. You did well against two of us, how do you feel about the odds when your enemy count is more then 10 times higher? Not to mention you lack the element of surprise this time around." When Batman doesn't respond, the ninja laughs some more, this time only silenced by Batmans fists hammering down on him. Now he'll stay out.

This isn't good. The goon was right, even _with_the element of surprise, Batman doubted his odds. Not to mention he barely had room to move in this place. He had to go, it was to risky to stay here.

But then who would stop Ra's from doing god knows what to Gothams water supply? Damn! Batman needed time to think this through, to figure out what the hell he was going to do! He just needed to think! He just needed to think! He just needed to think! To think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Thin- Is that a giant spider tying the ninja up?


	4. The Spider man emerges!

**Author's notes**

**Well... I f*cked up. I just realized that in the previous chapter, I made mention of Nightwing, Dick Grayson, who's not supposed to exist in this timeline. So, I'm forced to make a bit of a retcon. In the first chapter, it's stated that Bruce was 26 when he adopted Peter, just one year after becoming Batman. I'm changing it to that he adopted Peter sometime after Jason Todd died. That way, Nightwing is out of the way, and Bruce had more incentive to adopt Peter, what with just loosing his Jason. That also means I'll be able to use Nightwing and Red Hood in future stories. *Snickers***

**On the bright side, I got a new computer for Christmas! And you know what that means! Yup, thats right.**

**WEEKLY UPDATES... PROBABLY!**

**idk, seeing as it took me until, what, a good 11, 12 days? After Christmas to get this out, we'll see. It starts to drag a bit towards to end, but I was stumped and just wanted to get it out as soon as possible, so please forgive me. I also didn't edit, or proofread it... at all. Shows how much I care about you guys (all 2 of you!)**

Batman stared in bemusement at the display in front of him. The ninja, who had just previously informed Batman that backup was coming and he was doomed, was now being hiked up by a giant webline, held in the hands of a man in red and blue tights. The man with the spider motif stood on the walkways railing, and effortlessly pulled the 200+ pound ninja up without putting any effort at all into maintaining his balance. He proceeded to tie the ninja up, and suspend him upside down from the walkway by the web, all the while paying Batman no mind. When he finally finished, he looked up, and leapt off his perch point, landing directly in front of The Dark Knight.

"Hiya."

"..."

"So... Your Batman eh?"

"..."

"Not very talkative I see." The man placed his hands on his hips, and looked Batman up and down. Batman did the same to him, only far more thoroughly, inspecting every crevice of his being, getting the feel of him, figuring out what makes him tick. The man was short. Not overly so, but certainly smaller then Batman himself. In fact, he was smaller in all regards, not only in height but in bulk as well. He was scrawny- no, not scrawny; lean. He wasn't bulky, but Batman could still see the impression of well defined muscles beneath the suit. He wore a full face mask, something Batman himself considered but eventually decided against, it made breathing to difficult. But where it had faults, it also had benefits; Batman couldn't make out a single defining feature of this mans being. He could be white, black, young, old, male, female; hell he could be and most likely _was_ a mutant of some kind. If Batman wanted to know more about him, he'd have to do it the old fashioned way.

"Your Spider man?" He stated more then asked.

"That's what they call me." Spider man replied.

"Why are you here?"

"Well, I was just swinging around, doing my spider thing, when all the sudden my spider sense goes off like crazy, pointing me in this direction. So, being in the-"

"Spider sense?" Bruce asks.

"Huh? O-oh yeah, my spider sense. Ya see, it's this swell ability that allows me to do all kinds of stuff. I can use it to track people- or things, down, it warns me of danger, I can navigate a dark room like it's lit up brighter then the 4th of July, ect. Get it?" Batman nodded. He did get it, and from what he understood, that spider sense was one nifty power. Even The Man of Steel, who's so well known for his plethora of abilities, lacks anything like that.

"Yeah... well uh, anyway, me being in the superhero biz and all, couldn't just walk by and let a crime go unpunished. So, I swung right on by, planning on busting up a break in, but it looks like you beat me to it." Spider man explains.

"It appears so." Batman deadpans. Then he shoots Spider man a glare, and suddenly his voice becomes much more aggrevated.

"But that's not what I meant." He takes a step towards the red clad arachnid, then another, and soon he's maintaining a steady stride towards his prey. Spider man is forced to backup to avoid a collision.

"Then, umm... what did you mean?" Spider man asked, barely holding back a stutter. Nothing like a pattented Bat-glare to make you feel small. Batman opens his mouth to speak, but just as the first parsnips of air force their way past his throat and through his open mouth, Spider man says something that, even to this day, confuses Batman to no end.

"Huh? Spider sense tingling..." Ok... his spider sense tingles... what does that mean? Batmans about to get his answer.

"BEHIND YOU!" Spider man juts out his finger, pointing directly behind Batman, just as a razor sharp sword cuts through the air, aimed to take off The Dark Knights head. Batman just barely catches the blade on his gauntlet, and it takes all his strength to force the blade from pushing his hold arm down.

"Wha- the ninjas!" Batman exclaims in his head. Aww, stupid stupid stupid! How could he _forget_ about the bakup! Well now it was to late, and as if protecting himself from the army of assassins wasn't going to present enough difficulties, he had to make sure the kid survived to! Gah! Batman decides to take his frustrations out on the ninja, and with his free arm, serves him a viscious uppercut. He then grabs the stunned assassin by the head, and with all his strength, shoves him face first into the water vat, knocking him out cold.

"Whoa!"

"Spider man!" Batman calls upon seeing Spider man also engaged in combat... with 5 ninjas. "Get out of there they'll kill you!"

"What? Kill _me_? Psshh, please, I took on Doc Ock! A couple a' wannabe ninjas aren't gonna- YEOUCH!" Spider man bends back his pelvis just quick enough to avoid a fatal slash from the lead ninja. But not quite fast enough to avoid damage all together.

"WHA- y-you hit me?" He asks, the tone in his voice nothing short of absolute shock. But that quickly changes into one of annoyance. "Oh, now it is on!" The red clad arachnid charges his attacker, fist pulled back in anticipation of a hit. The enemy does the same, his sword reeled back in preparation, and like a motorized spring, he thrusts the weapon foward. Spider man responds by leaping in the air, going straight over his head, and landing behind him. Before the ninja even registers whats happened, Spider man has sweeped his legs, then hammered his face with his other foot.

With one enemy down, Spider man places his hands on either side of his head, and pushes hard enough to send himself flying towards his next target. Feet first, he collides with the assassin, sending him down to the ground, choking and sputtering, desperately trying to get air into his demolished midsection. Spider man doesn't have time to make sure he's alive; he's to busy shooting a webline at the third ninja.

The unorthodox weapon catches the assailant by surprise, and he doesn't have time to dodge as Spider man yanks him foward with all his might, abruptly stopping his flight with a fist to the face.

The fourth ninja was now wise to Spider mans tricks, so when the web swinger attempts to snag him with another webline, he skillfully slices the adhesive midair, stopping it's assault. But that won't stop Spider man. Faster then Usaine Bolt on a sugar high, Spider man charges, his fist flying foward with all the power of a steamroller. The ninja bends back to avoid the hit, and going with the momentum, does a full back flip, kicking Spider man in the face in the process.

The hit sends the young fighter staggering, but does little more as Spidey regains his ground, and shoots another webline, with the ninja once again cutting the material midflight, but with his attention focused on that, he has no time to stop Spider man from delivering a bone jarring kick to his face. All this happened in 8 seconds.

"And then there was one." Spider man says as he turns to the last remaining ninja.

"You are mistaken, Scarlet fighter." The ninja replies. "For you see, you may strike one down, but for each of us you destroy 2 more take it's place!" As if on cue, a dozen more ninjas fall from the sky, all forming in a tightly nit bun, coming towards Spider man, swords at the ready. All Spider man can offer in response is "It's just red, not scarlet."

Batman watches from the sidelines, in absolute awe at the young fighters amazing combat prowess. Leaping, and spinning, and flipping, and twisting, and turning, he hops from one enemy to another, like an elaborate dance, never missing a beat. He ducks his head under pipes, and contorts his entire body in such ways that Batman was sure he had too of _broken_ _his own bones_ at least a few times. But as Batman watched on, it became painfully apparent that all these tricks, all this theatricality, it was done with but just the slightest of effort. Yes, in terms of flexibility, agility, and overrall acrobatic talent, it seems Spider man far outranked even Dick.

Batman continued his observations, keeping careful watch over the young rookie, ever ready to jump into the fray at a moments notice, but at the same time studying Spider mans fighting style. It truly was spectacular, sensational! Just- just amazing! His speed works in perfect sync with his agility, his amazing spider sense guiding him every step of the way. His unnatural strength, capable of knocking even the toughest of his enemies into a coma with a single tap, doesn't at all hinder his speed in any way. A plethora of emotions flood Batmans system. Shock, awe, envy, amazement, even a bit of jealousy. But the one that takes priority over them all, is disgust.

This Spider man, was _without a doubt, _the _WORST _hand to hand fighter Batman had ever seen. Leaping and prancing about with such grace as he, the web spinner gives the illusion of actual talent. But Batman knows better. He's just throwing his weight around, tossing his arms in every which way direction, praying for contact. Batman was sure that if it weren't for his amazing speed, Spider man wouldn't of landed a single hit. Batman wanted to call him a brawler, but not even that properly described the display before him. Even a brawler had _some _idea of what they were doing. But this Spider man, he was just... there are no words for it. Everything from his stance to the actual way he throws a punch, he is just a... a total _spaz._

"HUGHH!" Another ninja is sent, literally _flying _across the room, and Batman can't help but wonder how much a difference it would make if he substituted his skill for Spider man's powers.

"ACK!" Not much apparently. Spider man just took a nasty slice aross his back, even Batman can't help but wince at it. It only serves to make Spider man angrier however, as he mercilessly pounds the attacker into the ground. The bodies pile up, ninjas drop to their knees, and soon, there is only one remaining enemy.

"_Now _we finish this." Spider man takes a step foward, and the ninja quickly paces back, nearly loosing his footing in his haste. Spider man takes the opportunity to latch a webline to the ceiling, and swing feet first at his assailant. The ninja, a determined look in his eye, regains his footing and ready's his sword in a position to make Spider man autimatically crash into it if he continues his trek.

Spider man sees this coming, and releases the webline. But that doesn't neccesarily stop his flight. The already gained momentum carries him foward, and at the last possible second he crashes to the ground, sliding right between the ninja's legs and popping up on the other side.

Going into a full hand stand, Spider man wraps his legs around his opponents neck quick as a flash, and swings him back, crashing him headfirst into the floor.

Spider man looks to Batman, waiting for him to say something. But he's waiting for something that'll never come, Spider man realizes, so he instead speaks.

"Gee, thanks for the help Mr. I-know-127-different-styles-of-martial-arts."

"You seemed to be doing fine on your own." Batman deadpans.

"Are you crazy? They could of killed me!" Spider man exclaims. He turns to the nearest downed ninja, giving it a brief nudge with his foot.

"This one here nearly shish kebabed me with his sword."

"_Her._"

"Huh?" Spider man asks as he turns.

"_Her _sword." Batman repeats as he rips off the ninja's mask. Spider man's eyes go wide behind his mask, as he loudly proclaims "whoa."

The ninja was indeed a female... and boy what a female at that!

Err, uhh, Batman's giving him a look. Time for a quick save.

"So, umm... why are they woman?"

"Woman make better assassins."

"Sounds like their leaders just a big perv if ya ask me." Spider man says as he places his hands on his hips.

"Hey, I just realized something, exactly who are these guys anyway? Last I heard ninja-con was being heald in L.A."

"League of Shadows elite. They were trying to poison Gotham's water supply."

"Huh? League of Shadows?" Spider man asks as he focuses his gaze on the man in front of him. "As in, Ra's al Ghul?"

"Yes." Batman replies. He then looks at Spider man, glaring at him hard.

"Ra's al Ghul is one of the most brilliant minds I have ever encountered in my life, and also one of the deadliest human beings on the planet. He only lets the best of the very best in his organization, and from there, he handpicks the best of those to be promoted to his elite. These ninja's you see around you, they are more then capable of killing _every single _Gotham PD member in the City. There that good." He takes a step towards the arachnid, bringing his hand up and violently jutting it out in his direction. "And YOU single handedly defeated each and every one of them. How?"

"Well it's not like it was easy." Spider man says as he stretches his arm. "I got more cuts here in five minutes then an octopus at a sushi bar."

Batman growls under his mask, sending a wave of fear like no other down Spider man's spine.

"Gothams protetor my right foo- huh?" Spider man did a double take of the area, suddenly looking back and forth rapidly.

"Someones coming."

"Who? How many?" Batman asks.

"I don't know who, but there's only a few this time. I think they have... they have..." Spider man's mask crinckles slightly; Batman could tell his eyes just went wide.

"What?" He asks, his voice becoming much more aggressive. Spider man looks to Batman to answer, but just as he takes a breath, something falls from above them. A canister of sorts. And it appears to be leaking some kind of...

"GAS!" Before either can react, the gas enters their systems, and they can feel every single fiber of their beings going limp. Numb down to their very core. Batman's arm flops around, desperately reaching for a gas mask he'll never reach. Before long, they both collapse; out.


	5. Captured

**Author's notes**

**I am SO sorry for not updating in so long. I want to say it won't happen again, but honestly... well we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, enjoy this lackluster new chapter.**

There was darkness.

But darkness was still awareness, as he soon realized.

He was awake, just barely.

And he then realized the heaviness of his own lids as he struggled to lift them, the things sticking, like some stubborn child refusing to release its hold on a favorite toy.

But he didn't panic; he'd been in this situation countless times before.

It was obvious he was drugged.

By who, well, that was the question.

He searched his memory banks, digging deep, trying to remember.

But his mind was cloudy; completely incoherent. The last thing he remembered was... was... the water plant... and the ninjas... and Spider man... and then... and then...

He couldn't remember. So instead, he tried for the next best thing, and again tried to open his eyes.

He focused, placing all his attention on accomplishing this simple task. It was near impossible, the weight of his lids seeming to push down harder then any ceiling fixture or two ton car he's ever before fought against.

But he didn't give up.

He continued for what seemed like forever, completely motionless, his entire being focused on this one thing. And eventually, he succeeded.

His lids fluttered, and the blackness became less pitch, penetrated by flashes of white, settling out in to more muted light as finally they stopped sticking, and his retinas began their adjustment to the presence of brightness.

His vision blurred heavily, and for a moment, he could see nothing before him but a flat expanse of grey, seeming to double over on itself.

He attempted to shake his head, to clear his mind, but upon trying couldn't bring himself to do it.

It was only then, that he noticed the feeling of something cold and hard pressed against his forehead. He tried to bring up his hands, but found they were in the same state.

There was a stiffening soreness which seemed settled inside his limbs, growing more pronounced at the joints of his shoulders, and a tingling numbness, he realized, running from his wrists and up, to the tips of his fingers. His head throbbed, and his throat and lips were terribly dry.

As clarity came, ever so slowly, he came to realize the exact severity of his situation.

He was pressed flat against a concrete wall, his arms held and pinned in place above his head by a thick, iron manacle slapped tight around the wrist. His head and both legs were the same. He realized the manacles were a single strip of metal, bolted against this wall, trapping his hands above his head, too far apart and too tightly pressed for him to have any maneuverability.

His eyes were one of the only parts of his body that he still had free pin.

"How are you?" She finally asks.

"I've been better." Bruce deadpans.

"Yes yes, I'm... sorry, for the, err, _bluntness _of you're restraints, but I'm sure you understand they were all neccesary precautions."

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asks.

"Well I came to say hello, I figured it might get lonely here all by yourself." Talia replies, her lips curving up into a sly smirk.

"What is your father planning?" Bruce continues stoicly. He could swear he almost saw Talia roll her eyes.

reign over, and he intended to use that freedom, however little it was, to his advantage.

He scoured the area, trying to figure out simply _where _it was he was being held.

It didn't take him long to realize this was a fruitless endeavor.

The room he was in was completely and utterly _unspectacular _in every conceivable way. The concrete walls were gray and boring, as was the concrete floor. There was a door directly in front of him, and even in his dazed state he could still make out what appeared to be a key pad situated right next to it.

And that was it.

There was nothing else in the room, not a window, not a cot, not a sink; even a simple _toilet _was missing. It was an absolute, _dungeon, _in every sense of the word.

Eventually, as time passed and his mind cleared, he found himself attempting escape. But it was far from easy, not only was his belt stripped of him, but _everything _was. His entire suit was gone, even the cowl, replaced by a pair of dirty sweatpants and nothing more. Not even a shirt.

A pity, he had quite an assortment of gadgets hidden in his suit, each of which would be invaluable in escaping this place.

But no matter, he was confident he could find a way out. It would just provide a bit more of a challenge then usual.

* * *

><p>His eyes dart from his left shackle to the door at the head of the room upon hearing a swishing sound. Sure enough, the door has just opened up, with his capture standing on the other side.<p>

"Hello Talia."

"Bruce..." Talia strides into the room, clad in a black one piece garm, her hair tied up in a bun by a bobby"Eh, same as always. Poison Gotham, find an heir, yadda yadda yadda." She turns away, seemingly annoyed. "Nothing new."

But just as quickly as she looked away, she turns right back around, staring at Bruce intently.

"At least, that was his _original_ plan."

Bruce remains silent, waiting for Talia to go on.

"You see, once my father saw this, err, _Spider-Man _in action, he decided to revise his plan."

"Cut to the chase Talia." Bruce says starkly.

Talia sighs, bowing her head.

"I am sorry my beloved, but I have said too much already. I just came to check on you, and seeing as you are ok, I have other matters to attend to." She turns to leave, Bruce quickly calling out to her.

"Talia-!"

"Do not fret my beloved, you will know of fathers plan soon enough." She walks back towards Bruce, outstretching her arms and grabbing onto him.

"You are after all, our guest of honor at the ceremonies." And with that, she embraces Bruce in a kiss, not pulling away for several seconds, and when she finally does she rests her head on his chest for several seconds longer.

"I am sorry for this Bruce, you know I do not like this. Holding you, shackled up in a dungeon like some sort of prisoner."

"Then why do it?" Bruce asks.

"Because it is fathers wish, and you know I am forever loyal to the league, no matter how much it pains me..." Bruce catches a glint in Talia's eye just as she pulls away, keeping her back to him.

"I will try to persuade father to move you to a more comfortable living quarters, but in the meantime you'll just have to manage." And without another word, Talia exits, closing and locking the door, leaving Bruce alone.

**Author's notes**

**I wanted it to be longer... and better, but it didn't work out. Honestly I've written myself into a hole, I have no idea where to go from here. I kinda know what I want to do, but I set it up in such a terrible way that I'm not sure how to put it into words. _Sigh, _well that's what I get for not planning ahead, instead just writing everything off the seam of my pants. Maybe one day I'll learn. Eh, probably not.**


	6. Does whatever a spider can

Hmph.

Well,

This was odd.

"Hello." Spider-Man, suspended upside down from the ceiling by a webline, waves merrily to the camera. He takes another look around the room. The chair he'd woken up in lay a few feet away, the titanium straps intended to hold him down now bent upwards and disconnected. It was by no means easy, but hey, proportional strength of a spider and all that.

He'd been waiting there, in that same position, having a stare off with the camera for about 5 minutes, waiting for whoever brought him here to come and greet him once they noticed he broke free. He could just as easily escape- the sliding door couldn't be broken through but he doubted it would be to hard to simply slide it open- but he figured it'd be best to wait for someone to come to him, that way he could hopefully get some answers.

But so far no one came.

He sighed.

"I'm getting bored here!" He yells, shaking his fist at the camera. "Jeez you are like, the worst hide and seek player ever." He waves the camera and whoever was watching it off, and drops to the floor. Brushing his hands together, he walks towards the door, ready to make his escape.

Ra's al Ghul meanwhile, watches intently.

"Amazing," He mutters. "He is far stronger then I had dared to hope; he broke through his manacles as if they were made of tissue! And now," Ra's continues watching as Spider-Man forcefully pulls the sliding door open, smoke rising from the hydraulics as they fight to keep it shut.

"Who needs a key card?" He says proudly as he walks through. He would have stuck some web to the door to keep it open, but unfortunately he seemed to be lacking his web-shooters at the moment.

No matter, if he needed to return for any reason it would be a simple matter of just reopening the door.

He peers down the hall, catching sight of another camera on either the left and right. It was a straight, narrow passageway, stone walls and floor. Nothing to high tech.

Hand on his hip, Spider-Man ponders whether to go left or right. Eventually siding with right (via eeny meeny miny mo) he goes on his way, not bothering to hide from the cameras.

"Quit hiding!" Spider-Man yells.

"Oh I assure you Spider-Man, I am not hiding." Spider-Man looks up towards the source of the sound and finds an intercom neatly placed in the corner.

"I am merely sizing you up before confronting you." On the monitors, Ra's can see 3 assassins sneaking down the corridor, towards the unsuspecting Spider-Man.

"So in other words, you're scared." Spider-Man replies matter-of-factly.

"Hmph, silly boy. I fear no one." Ra's states,

"Oh yeah?" Spider-Man asks. "Is that why you're sending your two-bit goons after me instead of taking me on yourself?" He juts his finger in the direction of the assassins, each of whom stumble in shock. How did he know they were coming? Even Ra's is taken aback.

The head assassin snaps out of it first, quickly raising his sword and leaping. Even in the tight space Spider-Man has no problem sidestepping the attack, and grabbing the assassin by the back of the head and slamming him into the wall.

"Next." He quickly spins around, just in time to see the next assassin make a mad dash for him. Swinging his sword horizontally, the assassin holds nothing back. Spider-Man responds by bringing his feet up, avoiding the swipe.

"Hey, watch it!" He then juts his legs out directly into the assassins chest, sending him back 10 feet. "You can hurt someone with that!"

"AAAARRRGGGHHH!" Unleashing a battle cry, the final ninja fearlessly charges Spider-Man. "FOR RA'S AL GHUL!" He leaps, bringing his sword down fast and hard. Spider-Man clasps it between his hands, not even breaking a sweat.

"You shouldn't run with sharp objects," He twists, snapping the sword in two. "You could get hurt." And with that, Spider-Man sends the ninja into blissful unconsciousness.

"Impressive," Ra's mutters to himself.

"Hmm, no woman this time?" Spider-Man asks. "I guess you have SOME decency Ra's."

"How did you know they were coming?" Ra's asks.

"Huh? Oh, just a little ability of mine I like to call my spider-sense." Spider-Man replies. "It's basically a precognitive power of sorts."

Ra's rubs his chin in thought. It was true, some breeds of spider possessed an ability similar to that, but he didn't expect Spider-Man to be capable of it. This man was getting more and more interesting by the minute.

* * *

><p>"Yes!" Batman drops to the floor, his final manacle unlatching, and he smiles triumphantly. He'd have to thank Talia for the bobby pin later. Boy was she gonna be surprised.<p>

He crouches down, walking silently over to the door, and presses his ear against it.

Nothing.

Good, now to get to work on this lock.

* * *

><p>"Well Ra's, it's been fun chatting, but if your not coming out I guess I'll just have to come to you." With that, Spider-Man turns, and continues on down the hall. Ra's huffs in response.<p>

"Arrogant boy," He mutters. In truth, Ra's was at anything but a disadvantage. With but a snap of his fingers he could flood the entire room with sleeping gas, or any other assortment of gases, some more lethal then others. But he figured, now was a good time to test the boy's merit. So he did nothing, watching as he traveled on, anticipating the hardships young Peter will face as the night goes on...

"Huh? A dead end?" Spider-Man asks. Ra's smiles.

Challenges like that.

"Hmm, ok spider-sense, do your thing... ah, here we go." Spider-Man places his hand on the wall and pushes, revealing a secret door. He happily strides through, humming a merry tune along the way. Ra's frowns.

* * *

><p>"You." Ra's points to the first assassin he sees, beckoning him foward. "Come."<p>

The young ninja is star-stunned that the great Ra's al Ghul is acknowledging him, but does his best to stay calm as he nods and follows the master. Inside he's screaming like a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert, but outside he's calm, cool, and collected... minus the uncontrollable shaking.

Ra's leads the man back to his study, and the two approach the monitors adorning the left side of the room.

"Are you ready to prove your loyalty to the league?" Ra's asks.

"Y-y-y-y-y-ye-ye-ye-y-y-ye-ye-ss-s s-ir!" The man practically screams, standing as tall and straight as possible. Ra's rolls his eyes.

"Are you prepared to put your life on the line if the league requires it?"

"O-o-o-of c-c-cou-rse s-s-sir." The man replies.

"If you are truthful, then drink this." Ra's produces a vial from his cloak, and shows the ninja. The vial contained a greenish liquid, filled with bubbles and flowing thinly.

"Wh-what is it sir?" Ra's raises an eyebrow. The man looks at him, his eyes going wide immediately. "I-i-if y-y-you don't mind me asking!"

"Why are you calling me sir?" Ra's asks.

"Huh? Eh, wha-"

"I would think sire more appropriate."

The man lowers his head.

"I-I'm sorry sir- sire, it's just a habit I formed during my time with the military."

"The military?" Ra's asks.

"Oh yes! I was with the military before joining the league." The ninja brings his hand to his head, saluting the master. "Johnny Sasaki, veteran of the Shadow Moses Incident and Big Shell Incident, reporting for duty!"

"... Well anyway," Ra's brings the vial back up, flashing it to Johnny.

"This is a deadly nerve toxin, highly dangerous and very lethal. It can kill a horse within an hour, let alone a human." He shoves it in Johnny's face. "Drink it."

"Err... wha-?"

"You see this man?" Ra's points at the monitor, showing Spider-Man crawling along the ceiling. "He will develop a cure for you. You will be fine, I assure you."

Johnny hesitates, eyeing the vial fearfully.

"Are you loyal to the league or not?" Ra's asks harshly. Johnny looks up, debating whether or not he's more afraid of a deadly neurotoxin, or Ra's al Ghul.

The answer is easy for him, and he chugs the vial.

* * *

><p>"Bad boys bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you, bad boys bad- huh?" Spider-Man squints his eyes and looks off in the distance. He peers through the mask, focusing on the indiscernable dot straight ahead of him.<p>

A person.

Without hesitation, the web slinger heads forward at full speed, towards the man blocking his line of sight.

"Hey, buddy I-"

"Ooohhh..." The man, who Spider-Man can now clearly recognize as another assassin, groans in pain. "Ooohhh, my stomach, aww..." The man clutches his midsection, and falls over.

"Ooohhh..."

"Hey, you ok?" Spider-Man asks as he drops down.

_BRWOOOOOP_

"WOAH!" Spider-Man clutches his nose and backs away. "Hey man, try and hold that in!"

"Ooohhh..."

"... Something tells me there's more wrong with this guy then just gas." Spider-Man mutters.

"And you'd be right Spider-Man!"

"Oh great, it's you again." Spider-Man begrudgingly turns to face the camera as Ra's al Ghul's voice is once again heard.

"What is it now old man?"

"Well Spider-Man, I _was _going to tell you how that man there is infected with a deadly nerve toxin and will be dead within the hour, but I can see your in a rush so I'll just-"

"Wait, what!" Spider-Man shrieks.

"Heh heh, yes, he had the unfortunate luck of ingesting a quite lethal nerve toxin. Soon I'm afraid his neurons will lose control over his ion concentrations across every last individual cell of his body, and he will die. Unless,"

"Unless what?" Spider-Man yells.

"Unless YOU save him." Ra's smiles.

"WHAT? How do you expect me to do that!" Spider-Man screams.

"There is a small laboratory near your location, it should have everything you need to synthesize a vaccine. Good luck Spider-Man, the clock his ticking." And with that, the line goes dead.


	7. He's a scientist to!

**Author's notes**

**Another update for ya! In case you guys haven't figured it out, I'm trying to work on a weekly schedule, so you can expect updates each and every Saturday night. I also want to throw out that the assassin character from last chapter-Johnny- will once again be appearing in this chapter, but he's not very important and is more (failed) comic relief then anything. Johnny is _actually _a character from the Metal Gear Solid games, where he is once again comic relief. I couldn't resist throwing him in here, but again, he's not important in the slightest, so don't let that alienate you. So if you haven't played MGS you might miss a few things here and there, but I'm sure you'll get along fine.**

**I'm honestly not a fan of the way I've portrayed Batman thus far. He is simultaneously a pussy and often pushed out of the way in favor of giving Spider-Man the spotlight. Unfortunately with the way this fic is going, that won't be resolved for another 2-3 chapters, but I tried to make him a bit more badass in this one. Hope you enjoy!**

**(On a side note, I dislike the way I portrayed Spider-Man was well... I'm simply not a very funny person, so his wise-cracks do give me trouble. If anyone has any ideas on something funny he can say towards Ra's, or Talia, or Batman, or just anyone, feel free to drop it in a review and I'll be sure to use it if the time comes.**

"Ooooohhh..."

Thin flashes of white slowly brake through the overbearing blackness.

"Hey, buddy, wake up!"

"Wha-" His eyes lazily droop open, blinking rapidly at the sudden invasion of harsh light. Someone is standing over him. A person.

"Wha- what-Meryl?" He mutters.

"Sorry bud, but Meryl isn't here." Spider-Man hoists the assassin up to his feet, draping his arm around himself to support him. "I doubt she was anywhere besides your imagination to begin with, but-"

"OOOOOHHHHHGGGG!" The assassin falls limp, clutching his stomach and collapsing to the ground.

"Hey! What's wrong! The neurotoxin is gone I know I got rid of it!" Spider-Man yells.

"I-I-"

"Speak!" Spider-Man drops to his knees, frantically searching through his head for the answer to why this was happening. What did Ra's do? Peter KNEW he cured the virus-or stabilized it at least. It took some doing, but after testing the assassins blood, Peter was able to analyze and isolate the virus, and then with a little bit of chemical ingenuity, develop an agent capable of forcing the virus into a comatose state. He could probably rid it from the man's body completely with time, but he needed to be fast if he wanted to save him.

He was SURE the virus was completely inactive, so what was wrong with him?

"Uurrgghh, my stomach,"

"Oh no no NO!" Spider-Man yells. "What's wrong!"

"I-I need-"

"You need what!"

_BRWOOOP_

"... A bathroom." The ninja relaxes, panting heavily.

"... Eww." Is all Spider-Man can mutter. But just as quick as it left, the tension comes back, with the assassin moaning and groaning some more.

"I _really _need to get to a bathroom!" He grunts.

"Uhh... yeah, sure man... I'll give you a hand..." Spider-Man awkwardly picks the man up and brings him to a bathroom stuck inside the lab.

* * *

><p>"You gonna be ok?" The wall crawler calls through the door.<p>

"Yeah... yeah I'm, _BRWOOP... _fine..." Was his reply.

Peter rubs the back of his neck in thought. Should he really just leave this guy here? Well, what else was there to do? Knock him out? Why do that?

"Because he's the enemy." A voice says in Peter's head. He glances back towards the door, listening at the various grunts and other strange sounds emerging from it.

"He doesn't seem like to much of a threat to me..." he mutters. With that and a shrug, he walks away, off to his next 'challenge.'

* * *

><p>Ra's reclines in his chair, hands folded in thought. So Spider-Man <em>wasn't <em>just all flair? No, the boy certainly had a brain under those muscles after all. Good. We'll see how he deals with his next challenge...

* * *

><p><em>Click!<em>

That's the sound of the cell door unlocking, and sliding open. Bruce smirks. Who needs Oracle? He was perfectly capable of hacking all by himse-

_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

... That would be the alarm.

Wonderful.

"There he is!" Bruce looks to his left, and spots a horde of incoming assassins.

So much for stealth.

"HYA!" The lead assassins chucks a fist full of throwing stars, each aimed at Bruce's head.

"Sloppy aim..." He falls back, ducking under the razor sharp, serrated blades. It was at times like this, when Bruce needed a batarang the most, he seemed to have none.

He sighs, and straightens up just in time to see the lead assassin make a lunge with his sword.

"Guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way," He sidesteps the rushed attack, sucker punching the man across the room. He ducks just as another sword is driven towards his head, and kicks out the assailants leg.

A bit brutal, but Bruce was in no mood.

Leaping back from the two demolished ninjas, Bruce faces the rest of the horde. He eyes them, unwavering, signature scowl in place, and gets in his fighting stance. They all flinch.

"You've all seen my face." He begins. "So I'm afraid it's necessary for me to _beat _amnesia into each and every one of you."

That was the final straw. Half the would-be assassins make a run for it, with the other half trembling beyond the ability to move their feet. He'd deal with them later, first he was going after the runners.

"Cowards." He mutters.

* * *

><p>Humming to himself, Spider-Man turns another corner, and finds,<p>

_Another _endless hallway. Yay!

He was getting sick of wandering around. He had to find Ra's and he had to _now._

Rearing back his fist, Spider-Man faces the wall, and putting all his strength forward, punches right through the barrier.

"Well, that was... surprising." He wasn't really expecting that to actually work.

Pete brings his arm back through the gaping hole, inspecting his hand and, to his surprise, finds not a single mark.

"Ok, that was WAY to easy." Hands on his hips, Spider-Man peers through the opening, and finds, believe it or not, a _garden._

Could this really lead outside? It looked like it, but then again, he was way underground.

Wasn't he?

Spider-Man didn't even know, he just assumed he was, but maybe this hole held the truth?

Gripping the two ends of the hole with each hand, Spider-Man pulls it apart-again shocked by how easy it was. Was he really this strong? Or was Ra's just playing a trick on him?

Well, judging by his spider-sense, it's the latter.

This was a bad idea.

Peter looks to his left at the vast hallway before him, then to his right, revealing the same. Then straight ahead, at the garden. Choices choices...

The answer is soon clear. It may be dangerous, but this garden may lead him somewhere. God knows these endless halls aren't doing it. With that thought in mind, Spider-Man boldly steps through the threshold.

"Reckless boy." Ra's shakes his head at the camera, and hits a button. A red light on the monitor blinks, and Spider-Man's already booming spider-sense instantly kicks into high gear.


End file.
